Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona was on the receiving end of a sticky prank at the hands of star shortstop Francisco Lindor. Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Francisco Lindor played funny hand sanitizer prank on Terry Francona

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 7/6/20

MLB players are still adapting to the new health and safety protocols they must follow while preparing for the 2020 season, but that isn’t stopping the Cleveland Indians from having some fun in Summer Camp.

On Monday, Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters about a diabolical prank star shortstop Francisco Lindor played on him during practice. Lindor told Francona to clean his hands and handed him what the manager thought was hand sanitizer. However, what Lindor gave Francona was the sticky substance hitters use to get a better grip on the bat.

Terry Francona said that Francisco Lindor told him to use hand sanitizer during batting practice. So he used what Lindor gave him, except it was the firm grip the hitters use.

"We almost released him," Tito joked.

He's used rubbing alcohol, but nothing has gotten it off.

— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) July 6, 2020

Francona joked that the Indians almost released Lindor over the prank. With the way things have gone in contract negotiations between Lindor and the Indians, a hand sanitizer prank may be all it takes to push things to a breaking point.

The Indians have been known for playing some pretty awesome pranks since Francona became their manager, which makes sense because he likes to keep things loose. Unfortunately, he was the one who paid for it this time.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: